The timing of the Super Bowl nearly eclipsed this year’s Valentine’s Day activations, but a handful of brands did indeed come out in person to show consumers some love and help them celebrate the international holiday. The occasion didn’t garner its typical volume of experiential activity, but the brands that did activate had some clever tactics up their sleeves. From programs designed for Valentine’s Day, to those geared toward the anti-Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day movements, there was a little something for everyone. Here’s a look.
From the Valentine’s day Archives:
- Photo Tour: Inside OGX’s Love-Themed Drive-Thru Car Wash
- Valentine’s Day Experiential: Consumers Feel the Love with Brand Campaigns
DENNY’S
What better way to show someone you really care than by suggesting a fast food-themed wedding in Vegas? Oh yes, Denny’s headed to Sin City on Valentine’s Day to host free weddings and vow renewals at its pop-up chapel. It wasn’t the first time Denny’s pulled the Valentine’s wedding stunt, but new to the program this year was the brand’s offer to livestream the ceremony so that friends and family members could participate in their loved ones’ big day from afar (the livestream was aired on Denny’s YouTube page throughout the day).
Spots were limited and reservations were required. Those who snagged a timeslot were provided with the Denny’s-inspired chapel space, an on-site officiant, music and brand-themed bride and groom t-shirts for the ceremony. For the reception, couples could celebrate their love surrounded by Denny’s wedding décor, nosh on a Denny’s dessert and partake in a champagne toast. They also earned two vouchers for Original Grand Slam meals for their next Denny’s visit.
GODIVA
Supporting a retail strategy that increases the availability of iconic Godiva chocolate everywhere, the chocolatier, which is celebrating its 95th anniversary, stood up larger-than-life installations of two of its iconic boxes in high-traffic locations in New York City. While the experiences were activated in time for Valentine’s Day, Godiva’s campaign messaging is encouraging consumers to treat themselves outside of just special occasions.
Leading up to the chocolate box activations, Godiva teased its geographic locations on social media. First, the brand’s iconic square gold chocolate box came to life in the form of a 20-foot by 24-foot photo op in Herald Square on Feb. 8, illuminated by LED lighting and surrounded by brand ambassadors who handed out complimentary chocolates. The next day, Feb. 9, the brand unveiled a 20-foot by 14-foot Godiva heart chocolate box installation in Flatiron Plaza, which was significant because, while the box has been available to consumers for a few years now, it is becoming more wildly available in major retailers like Target and Costco. Agencies: Department of Wonder (experiential); Lippe Taylor (social, digital, p.r.). —R.B. Read the full case study here.
UBER
Across the pond, Uber took its transportation services to the next level by chartering a “love boat” to float down England’s River Thames for the evening of Feb. 14. The Uber Love Boat served as a hop on, hop off experience with several stops, and featured live performances by several London-based string bands that played love songs spanning all genres and eras. Participants could also munch on bites like chocolate heart-shaped shortbread cookies and sip on bubbly and other spirits.
FARMER JOHN
Smithfield Foods-owned Farmer John killed two birds with one stone on Valentine’s Day, offering a hangover cure for Super Bowl revelers and an anti-Valentine’s Day pop-up event for singles. Ahead of the holiday, the packaged meats brand teamed up with L.A.-based mixologist and bartender Saeed “Hawk” House to create “Hair of the (Hot) Dog,” an over-the-top Bloody Mary recipe that includes a Farmer John Beef Frank perched on top, along with a variety of other meaty fixings. House also developed a new Farm John-inspired cocktail featuring the brand’s Premium Classic Cut Bacon as the star.
At the Feb. 14 pop-up, consumers in Los Angeles could commiserate and remedy what was ailing them, be it a hangover or a broken heart, at Farmer John’s anti-Valentine’s brunch. The ticketed event, created in partnership with Break Up Bar, which took up a temporary residence at Severance wine and fondue bar at Palihotel Melrose, included a complimentary Hair of the (Hot) Dog cocktail and a special Break Up Bar brunch menu featuring exclusive dishes made with Farmer John’s bacon, sausage and ham products.
TIFFANY & CO.
New York City’s iconic Empire State Building partnered with another Manhattan mainstay, Tiffany & Co., for a Valentine’s Day campaign centered in the heart of the Big Apple. The program featured an experiential “Happily, Ever After” engagement package and a one-night illumination of the building in Tiffany’s signature blue hue.
The five couples who snagged the $1,000 engagement package were granted priority access to the Empire State Building’s 86th Floor Observatory, where they could drink a complimentary bottle of champagne in a private corner of the outdoor observatory deck. They also scored a private tour of the building, access to the 102nd Floor Observatory and a special offer from the nearby Langham Hotel. The package additionally included special gifts: a Tiffany & Co. Color Block two-piece mug and tea set, and floral bouquets wrapped in artwork by Curtis Kulig, with whom Tiffany partnered for Valentine’s Day.
On the eve of Feb. 14, Tiffany and the Empire State Building welcomed actress and New York City icon Sarah Jessica Parker, who flipped the building’s “light switch” and turned it Tiffany blue, underscoring the brand’s recent Blue is the Color of Love campaign.
SUPPORT HERSTORY
Newer to the experiential scene this year was Support HerStory, which started as a subscription box company and has evolved into a full-blown online marketplace offering a curated collection of items made by small, women-led businesses. To celebrate Galentine’s Day, the brand hosted a pop-up shop from Jan. 27-30 in Dallas that was designed to support female business owners. Visitors could explore 50 different products featured in HerStory boxes, meet small business founders that have partnered with the brand and scan QR codes to learn about each company’s offerings.
Furthering its mission to support women, Support HerStory worked with female vendors to enhance the on-site experience. Attendees could sip on Casey Barber’s Rose Gold Rosé, snack on macarons from We the Birds and snap photos in front of Austin-based artist Steffi Lynn’s mural wall. They could also get their makeup done, order Valentine’s Day flowers and have any purchase personalized on-site by a painter or embroiderer.
